WILMINGTON, Mass. — The Bruins wrapped up preparations for Friday's final contest before a brief Christmas break with one last practice at Ristuccia Arena on Thursday.
Defenseman Andrew Ference returned after missing Wednesday's workout with the flu, but forward Rich Peverley got a second straight day off as he continues to rest a nagging undisclosed injury. After practice, Bruins coach Claude Julien stated that a final decision on Peverley's status for Friday's game with Florida had not been made, but it's looking more and more likely that the Bruins could give him the night off to take full advantage of the upcoming holiday break.
"Not 100 percent," Julien said when asked if plans for Peverley had been finalized. "We kept him off the ice and we'll see [Friday] whether we skate him in the morning and try to get him ready for the night or whether we'll wait and give him that extra rest."
Sitting out Friday would give Peverley more than a week's worth of rest between games as the Bruins last played Monday against Montreal and after Friday don't play again until opening a road trip Wednesday in Phoenix. Still, Julien noted that even that long a layoff isn't likely to completely heal the ailment bothering Peverley.
"That's the goal, but at the same time we're not sure that we can totally eliminate it," Julien said. "So it's something we're going to have to deal with for the year. It's a little nagging injury that doesn't stop him from playing, but sometimes rest does a lot of good."
With Peverley out, Zach Hamill skated in his spot on right wing with Chris Kelly and Benoit Pouliot in practice. Hamill has bounced back and forth between center and wing this season after spending the bulk of his career in the middle. He was moved to wing to start the year in Providence and played there during his first call-up last month, but returned to center to start his latest recall when Gregory Campbell was sidelined for three games with a fractured foot.
"I just do whatever I can to get in the lineup and contribute," Hamill said. "If that's first line or fourth line, if it's center or wing, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to go out there and play that position as best as possible and fill in wherever's needed."
Hamill has performed well in his limited opportunities. The 2007 first-round pick is a plus-5 with two assists in six games with the big club this season and has four assists and a plus-7 rating in 10 career games in Boston over the past three seasons.
"I think every time I come up here I want to get better," Hamill said. "This time I want to gain the trust of the coaching staff and have their confidence to not only put me in the lineup but put me out there in key situations."
